THE striker is worried the club would toil to bounce back if their 20-year stay in the top flight comes to an end this season.

KRIS BOYD last night admitted he fears relegation could condemn Kilmarnock to an extended stay in the Championship.

The striker is worried the club would toil to bounce back if their 20-year stay in the top flight comes to an end.

Killie currently occupy the relegation play-off spot with two games remaining and Boyd insists a victory against St Mirren tonight is vital if they are to have any hope of survival.

Rangers and Hearts will both be in the Championship next term and the hitman admits coming back up will be far from straightforward.

He said: “It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to work out Kilmarnock have struggled over the last few years.

“With Hearts and Rangers in the Championship, it’s up to us to make sure we stay in the Premiership and give this club every chance to be a success going forward.

“If we go down we could be down for a couple of years.

“So it’s up to us to give it our all because this game is bigger than Saturday’s with Hibs.

“This is the one we face right now and we need to put on a performance to give ourselves a chance to stay out of the play-off position.”

Top scorer Boyd believes everybody at the club is playing for their futures and has urged his team-mates to prove they have what it takes to bounce back after suffering a 5-1 hammering at the hands of Hearts on Sunday.

He said: “We are the ones in the play-off position and nobody wants to be there. The only way we are going to get out of it is through hard work.

“It’s up to us to go out and play the match as if it’s our last game of football because it could well be for a lot of us at this club.”

Boss Allan Johnston also called for Killie to man up and prove they won’t be crippled by the fear of relegation.

Johnston branded his team an embarrassment after the weekend mauling when far too many of his charges retreated into their shells.

Now the Rugby Park gaffer has urged his stuttering stars to emerge from hiding when they take on St Mirren.

Johnston said: “We are looking for a big response and a reaction.

“It has been a bit nervy since the split. It’s tense at this time of year.

“It’s about how you handle that situation. We have to show we are the hungrier team, that we are the ones with the desire.

“The players can’t be afraid to play and do the things they are good at.

“The last thing you want to do is hide. We have big characters such as Manuel Pascali and Kris Boyd – and they have to guide the younger ones. They have a massive part to play.”

Johnston also knows he has to show he can handle the pressure of a relegation dogfight.

Just 12 months after collecting the Manager of the Year award for leading Queen of the South to the Second Division title his own credentials are on the line.

Chairman Michael Johnston put his head above the parapet at a stormy AGM this week to insist his namesake would remain in charge even if Killie dropped out of the top flight for the first time in 20 years.

But while Johnston is encouraged to receive a vote of confidence from the board he would prefer to have the backing of the supporters.

They turned on their manager at the weekend, firing a torrent of abuse in his direction and unfurling banners demanding his removal.

Johnston said: “We need the support of the fans – their backing is essential. I had quite a lot of abuse as a player and even from my own fans so it is not new.

“It is not nice but you would rather it was directed at you rather than the players. It is a nervy time for them and what they need now more than ever is the supporters to get behind them.

“We have a lot of young players and after we lost the first goal on Sunday some heads went down. You can’t afford that to happen.”

Given the condemnation of his team following the weekend drubbing in Edinburgh it comes as no surprise to hear Johnston is wielding the axe for the visit of St Mirren.

Johnston added: “I think we need to freshen things up because it wasn’t good enough.”

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THE Killie striker has admitted that he wants to test himself at a higher level at the end of the season and while it could leave his manager with a headache, he says that Boyd has improved and matured as a player this season.